Toyota Verso-S review

Toyota doesn’t count the Jazz as a direct rival to the Verso-S, which is odd

The L-shaped profile to the bumper, pushes air out sideways and up

The door handle recess adds a hint of dynamism to the side of the car

The single-bladed grille is Toyota’s most recent family face

The rear is inoffensive and allows for a usefully low load height

Steering wheel trim is a nice thickness and includes standard audio and phone controls

Cabin features a high-set gearlever, and there’s a huge amount of headroom

Shame that rear seat doesn’t slide back and forth like in did in the original Yaris

Extra boot room in T Spirit is because you don’t get space-saver but a repair kit

The roof totally alters the interior appeal, plus it’s UV resistant and you get a full-length powered blind on the inside

In practice the buzzy engine is never a relaxing or enjoyable motor to use

Ride and body control are better than you might expect of a mini-MPV

The brakes on the Verso-S are very good in terms of outright stopping power

On B roads the Verso S provides a progressive and well resolved balance between a soft ride and predictable, responsive handling

The high-speed ride is good, with the rate of roll kept in check even under hard driving

The Toyota Verso-S does a specific job, and it does it adequately - nothing more and nothing less

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The Toyota Verso-S is a successor to the unexpectedly popular Yaris Verso. Launched in the UK in 1999, the Yaris Verso remained on sale until late 2005, during which time it sold over 10,500 units in the UK. It was decided that the second generation was too similar to the standard Yaris to sell well in the UK, hence the many years without a B-segment MPV in Toyota’s line-up.

The concept of a supermini MPV is not a new one. There are a number of variations on the theme on offer today, among them the Honda Jazz, Citroën C3 Picasso, Kia Venga, Nissan Note and now Toyota is taking them on with the new Verso-S.

The Verso-S can carry four people and luggage, but without flair,originality or brilliance

On paper the Verso-S looks like a good entrant in this niche in the supermini market. It is less than four metres long, has a pretty roomy cabin and seemingly ticks all the boxes that will matter most to prospective (and most likely older) buyers – with both comfort and affordability top of that priority list. It’s as well that the 1.33 VVT-i petrol version isn’t expensive to run, since it’s the only engine option available.

So there’s one engine, but two trim levels, both reasonably specced: the TR and the more luxurious T-Spirit. By the standards of its limited direct rivals, the Verso-S appears very competitive. But with a list price that puts it up against plenty of models besides mini-MPVs that offer a broad array of talents, the Verso-S needs to do more than just meet the standards of its niche segment to stand out.